Manitowoc’s ‘West of the Lake’ named to National Register of Historic Places

Brandon Reid, Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter
·3 min read

MANITOWOC – The Ruth St. John and John Dunham West House and Gardens at 915 Memorial Drive in Manitowoc has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.

According to a news release, the West House and Gardens has been listed for its association with Ruth St. John West. Although she did not have any academic knowledge of horticulture or gardening, she turned her house, “West of the Lake,” into the “largest and most elaborate privately owned garden in Wisconsin.”

Ruth St. John West was directly associated with creating multiple garden clubs in the region. As a widely known garden expert, she also traveled throughout Wisconsin and the Midwest for hundreds of engagements on lectures and demonstrations for gardening, horticulture, flower arranging, table setting and the home.

The Ruth St. John and John Dunham West House and Gardens at 915 Memorial Drive in Manitowoc.
The Ruth St. John and John Dunham West House and Gardens at 915 Memorial Drive in Manitowoc.

The Ruth St. John and John Dunham West House was constructed in 1934 and designed by the couple in the Streamline Moderne style. Over time, the property expanded, as did the spacious gardens in a well-manicured landscape. Today, the property is operated by the Ruth St. John and John Dunham West Foundation, Inc., that continues the West’s enthusiasm of horticulture.

Additional information for the Ruth St. John and John Dunham West House and Gardens is available at https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Property/HI245454.

Ruth West with gardener Bill Mueller at the Path Garden, her first garden at West of the Lake.
Ruth West with gardener Bill Mueller at the Path Garden, her first garden at West of the Lake.

West of the Lake Gardens is open May 28 through early October, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, weather permitting. The Lester Bentley Gallery is open 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. Masks are required inside the Lester Bentley Gallery. Attendance in the gallery is also limited to five individuals or one household at a time. People can learn more by contacting West of the Lake at 920-684-6110 or online at westfoundation.us.

The Ruth St. John and John Dunham West House and Gardens, named to the National Register of Historic Places on Feb. 17, joined the following 37 other sites in Manitowoc County to be named to the list: Alaska Shipwreck in Two Rivers, Arctic Shipwreck near Manitowoc, Central Park Historic District in Two Rivers, Continental Shipwreck in Two Rivers, Eighth Street Historic District in Manitowoc, Floretta Shipwreck near Manitowoc, Francis Hinton Shipwreck in Manitowoc, French Side Fishing Village (Rogers Street Fishing Village) in Two Rivers, Gallinipper Shipwreck in Centerville, Green Bay Road Bridge in Manitowoc Rapids, Carl Gottlieb Heins House in Kiel, Home Shipwreck near Centerville, Island Village Site in Eaton, Kiel Mill in Kiel, Charles and Herriette Klingholz House in Manitowoc Rapids, LaSalle Shipwreck in Two Rivers, Lincoln Boulevard Historic District in Manitowoc, Lookout Shipwreck in Two Rivers, Loreto Shrine Chapel in St. Nazianz, Lutze Housebarn in Newton, Major Anderson Shipwreck in Two Rivers, Manitowoc County Courthouse in Manitowoc, Mirro Aluminum Company Plant No. 3 in Manitowoc, Pathfinder Shipwreck, Rawley Point Light Station in Two Rivers, Rock Mill in Maribel, Rouse Simmons Shipwreck, S.C. Baldwin Shipwreck in Two Rivers, St. Gregory’s Church in St. Nazianz, Saint Luke’s Church Complex in Two Rivers, St. Mary’s Convent in St. Nazianz, Bernard and Fern Schwartz House in Two Rivers, Sexton’s House at Evergreen Cemetery in Manitowoc, Tubal Cain Shipwreck near Two Rivers, Two Rivers Post Office, USS Cobia submarine at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc, and the Joseph Vilas Jr. House (home to the Rahr-West Art Museum) in Manitowoc.

More about Ruth St. John West:

Contact Brandon Reid at 920-686-2984 or breid@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @breidHTRNews.

This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Manitowoc West of the Lake joins National Register of Historic Places